Montreal - Canada
Montreal: A live wire
Montreal is a pulsing North American city that oozes European charm. The city pairs old with new and is a generous host to its visitors.
Travel from past to present in Old Montreal and its port, home to the city's most historic and newest attractions. Alongside the stately grace of the Notre-Dame Basilica and the Bonsecours Market’s glistening dome awaits a wealth of cutting-edge design shops and forward-thinking restaurants. The area is one of the city’s most constantly evolving and dynamic quarters, with attractions ranging from cathedrals and museums to a ferris wheel and river cruises. The area’s beautiful buildings transform nightly into glowing beacons with innovative lighting effects.
The colourful, quirky and creative neighbourhood of the Plateau is a must-see neighbourhood with outstanding street art. Soak up the creative energy that flows through the Plateau’s cafés, bars, bookstores, restaurants and designer shops, which stand alongside former textile mills and churches turned into start-up incubators or condo buildings. Nerve centre of Montréal’s trendsetting cultural scene, this neighbourhood is home to a unique and multicultural mix of bustling shopping strips and pretty residential side streets with colourful houses and spiral staircases. Head to La Banquise to indulge in a variety of the regions famed poutine or St Viateur for Montreal’s favourite bagel.
The city centre of Montreal is no stuffy business meeting. Instead, the downtown core is surprisingly crammed with creativity. The city’s most popular art museums are located here. Visitors will discover multi-storey murals etched onto the side of skyscrapers. Fashion is found not only in the boutiques but also on the people strutting the sidewalks. There are a huge variety of festivals and the mainstay museums are at the cutting edge of the art world.
Brick smokestacks and revamped warehouses recall the city’s industrial past in the canal district, which is fast becoming a hub for food, drink and outdoor fun. Walk, jog and bike along the sides of the Lachine Canal or kayak, canoe and electric boat on the waters of the canal itself. There are many ways for the motion-oriented to enjoy this area. Sample the creative cuisine at one of Notre-Dame Street’s plethora of super-hip upstart eateries, and find something utterly unique at one of the many artisanal food shops, antique stores, galleries and designer boutiques.
The Village’s come-one, come-all spirit marks this rainbow-hued quarter as a vital part of the city’s urban landscape. Wander beneath the canopy of colourful balls over Saint Catherine Street that serves as the main thoroughfare and meeting point. Welcoming nightclubs that stay packed long into the night personify Montréal’s joie de vivre and the anything goes scene awaits with arms open wide. But the fun runs 24/7, making Le Village one of Montréal’s most vibrant, open, and inclusive quarters both day and night.
There is no better antidote to the hussle and bussle of city life than a quick escape to the sun-speckled paths and breathtaking beautiful natural surroundings of Mount Royal. As one of the last oases of nature remaining in the city there are a multitude of paths that lead to the best vantage point of Montreal’s skyline. The park has a surprising range of biological diversity and places of cultural influence such as the opulently built Chalet and the Cross that serves as a symbolic light beacon.
Montreal is a classic European twist of a Canadian city abuzz with cultural flair and progressive spirit.
